ICE Detention and Removal Numbers Slip in the Wake of Pandemic

Some good news, but still a lot of bad. 

Share Tweet Forward ICE Detention and Removal Numbers Slip in the Wake of Pandemic Some good news, though, but still a lot of bad. Will it get better   Washington, D.C. (December 30, 2020) - ICE Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO) statistics for FY 2020 have been released.  Not surprisingly-- given the pandemic and its associated restrictions-- total removals and the number of aliens removed from the interior of the United States, as well as the number of aliens in ICE detention, are all down compared to FY 2019.  There were increases in removals, however, in some surprising subgroups.  The big question, though, is whether there will be a rebound in immigration enforcement once the pandemic emergency is over.  Andrew Arthur, the Center's Resident Fellow in Law and Policy, said, "The numbers are particularly dismal given the fact that there are, by conservative estimates, more than 10 million aliens illegally present in the United States, of whom more than 3.2 million are on ICE's non-detained docket. The big reason for the decline is the pandemic, but the crisis may soon be over with vaccines in production. The question is will enforcement efforts rebound with the next administration, especially if a surge occurs at the border and illegal numbers in the interior rise." The full CIS article: https://cis.org/Arthur/ICE-Detention-and-Removal-Numbers-Slip-Wake-Pandemic Highlights of the report: A 30.5 percent decrease in removals over FY 2019, only 8 percent were non-criminal. Removals decline for second year in a row. FY 2020 non-detained docket lower than FY 2019. ICE ERO arrests were down 38 percent, only 10 percent were non-criminal.    Pandemic had a large impact on arrests and removals. Detainers issued decreased 26 percent largely due to fewer state and local arrests. ICE issued detainers for aliens with convictions or pending charges for 1,900 homicide-related offenses, the same number of kidnappings, 3,600 robberies, 42,800 assaults, and 11,900 sex crimes.        Several "previously non-cooperative" countries (Bangladesh, Cuba, Haiti, India) took back more of their nationals. Family unit removals increased 154 percent, but the population increased. The Electronic Nationality Verification (ENV) Program, rolled out in July 2019,  ENV, in which El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras participate, was a success, allowing aliens to  spend less time in detention awaiting removal. One third of all aliens on alternatives to detention (ATD) absconded. The agency contends that given ERO's limited resources, its ability to keep tabs on aliens on ATD is "extremely limited".  This simply reinforces the Center's conclusion in January 2019 that "Alternative Programs Don't Eliminate the Need for Immigration Detention".  ICE detention numbers declined 33 percent. Visit Website Donate Copyright © 2020 Center for Immigration Studies, All rights reserved.  Our mailing address is: Center for Immigration Studies 1629 K St., NW, Suite 600 Washington, DC 20006 USA

New from the Center for Immigration Studies, 12/28/20

Share Tweet Forward What's Happening at the Center In his recent commentary, Mark Krikorian explains that while Joe Biden will use executive actions to undo President Trump's immigration policy, he will likely do so gradually in the hopes of averting a new border crisis and the political blowback for his party that would result. (Top Biden officials confirmed this after the publication of the commentary.) But it is unlikely that prospective illegal immigrants will cooperate, given the incentives Biden will put in place to jump the border or overstay a visa, forcing the new administration to choose between restoring Trump's immigration agenda or loss of Congress in 2022. Featured Blogs  DHS, DOJ Issue Final Regulations to Ensure Uniformity in Asylum: A sober response to more than 87,000 comments — but uniformity likely won't last By Andrew R. Arthur While the regulations in the final rule will likely not be washed away entirely, they could well be whittled away piecemeal. The uniformity those regulations are meant to ensure likely won't be "uniform" in the not-too-distant future. SCOTUS Dismisses Census Case — For Now:  'Judicial resolution ... is premature' By Andrew R. Arthur At some point the secretary of Commerce and president will act, which (probably) will return the case to the courts. It is questionable whether the DOJ under President Joe Biden will defend those suits, although there could be states that would have standing at that point to support the president's actions. Wave of 'Extra-Continental' Migrants Predicted in Biden's First Year: Migrants from terror-plagued countries and around the world are bottled up in Latin America, waiting for the green light By Todd Bensman It bears remembering that next year's now-broadly predicted surge of illegal immigration to the U.S. Southwest Border — largely the result of the Biden campaign's months of messaging that the incoming president will clear all obstacles and penalties for it — will include not only Spanish-speakers. Minimum EB-5 Investment Is $900,000, but $450,000 Can Be Borrowed By David North Allowing aliens to buy their way into the country is questionable enough; but to open our doors to those who have borrowed part of the admissions price is more so. More Blog Posts Disturbing Trends at the Border: And likely to get worse: Of Biden's immigration plans and 'Gen Z' with Jack Daniels Smugglers Are Equal-Opportunity Employers: The juvenile and the sexagenarian D.C. District Judge Denies Motion to Dismiss Minor's Title 42 Expulsion Claim: But what exactly is Judge McFadden suggesting? The Tension Between Mail-Order and Retail Decision-Making at USCIS New York Bars ICE from Courthouses: The demonization of law enforcement, and 'the worst imaginable thing' a police chief ever has to do Restrictionists Need Allies in the Black Community Andrew Arthur, the Center's Resident Fellow in Law & Policy, discusses the effects of mass immigration on wages and education. Donate